“I’m an old broken down piece of meat, and I deserve to be all alone. I just don’t want you to hate me.”

Who’s Involved?:

Director: Darren Aronofsky

Writer: Robert D. Siegel

Cast: Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood

What is it?: Mickey Rourke is an aging professional wrestler making his way through the independent circuit. He is a man dealing with the passage of time, the consequences of his decisions, and looking for the hope of redemption and new life.

Why I’m Interested: I seriously thought about letting this trailer stand alone this week. The buzz is sensational, and it looks like Mickey Rourke will again remind us of what could have been had his life gone differently.

Star Trek

“Buckle up.”

Who’s Involved?:

Director: J.J. Abrams

Writer: Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, (based on the work of Gene Roddenberry)

What is it?: In the age of re-imagined franchises, Star Trek is the latest to get the treatment. We start from scratch for the first voyage of the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise.

Why I’m Interested: The beginning of the trailer is pretty lame in my opinion, but J.J. Abrams is running the show in this audacious undertaking, and that’s at least worth something. I’d probably have to be given a reason not to see this one as opposed to the other way around.

For those of you, like myself, who are novices to all things Trek, you might want to check out this lovely article over at Cinematical.

Coraline

“You could stay here forever. There’s one tiny thing you need to do.”

Who’s Involved?:

Director: Henry Selick

Writer: Henry Selick, Neil Gaiman

Voice Cast: Dakota Fanning, Ian McShane, Teri Hatcher

What is it?: A young girl who dreams of finding a better world stumbles upon a doorway to an alternate version of her own life. At first, it seems this world might be exactly what she was hoping for, but (to borrow a line from True Blood), it just might be Satan in a sunday hat.

Why I’m Interested: Make an imaginative film where the director of The Nightmare Before Christmas tells a darker fairy tale, then throw in the involvement of Neil Gaiman as a bonus, and what you’ve got is me buying a ticket to see your movie.

Astro Boy

Who’s Involved?:

Director: David Bowers

Writer: Osama Tezuka, Timothy Harris

Voice Cast: Freddie Highmore, Kristen Bell, Bill Nighy, Nicolas Cage

What is it?: Based on the popular Japanese manga and cartoon series which has had many manifestations from the 50’s right up until the 2000’s, Astro Boy is about a robot boy who fights bad guys… that’s about all I know.

Why I’m Interested: There is a good chance my interest will wane as time passes and I learn more, but there is a cult following that loves the old cartoons, and I’m a sucker for slick animation. So, for now, color me interested.

Here, with some more music video goodness, is Coldplay’s “The Scientist”. An interesting engagement with telling a story backwards. It plays with our perceptions and responses, and the meandering beauty of the video takes on a different meaning as the story’s ‘beginning’ unfolds.

If you’ve already been blessed by the hilarity of Drunk History then this is just a refresher. However, if you are still a virgin to this wonderful world then today your life changes for the better.

It’s just like the History Channel, but the historians are drunk and the actors recreating the scenes are talented individuals like Jack Black and Michael Cera, among others.

Here is where I insert the language warning as a courtesy to my readers, the ‘gloaming and dawn’ equivalent of the parental advisory sticker. Then, with that out of the way, it’s on with the show.

Drunk History: Vol. 1

Drunk History: Vol. 2

Drunk History: Vol. 3

Drunk History: Vol. 4

Bonus:

Drunk History: 2.5

3. TNF –

My hope this year before the football season started was to invite as many people as would come to our place on Monday nights to enjoy some Monday Night Football on ESPN. Sadly, my friends and I quickly realized that the counseling students had a class on Monday nights, making our MNF dates impossible.

That led to plan B, Thursday Night Football. We had to wait a while since Thursday night games weren’t starting on NFL Network until Week 10, but alas, the time has come.

Two weeks ago we had two guests to watch Brady Quinn’s debut against the Broncos, but last night our numbers grew to six guests for the Jets/Pats game. It was a great night of beer (including the tasty Rogue Dead Guy Ale), football, Drunk History, laughter and great company. I hope there is more to come!

4. Quantum Of Solace And The New Cinerama Seats –

At the time of this writing, I still haven’t experienced either of these yet. That will come later this evening. However, Em and I have been looking forward to this for some time. We’ve been excited about the new seats at Cinerama since word came that they were on their way, and I myself have been excited about the new Bond since the moment the credits rolled on Casino Royale the first time I saw it.

I suppose there is always the potential for disappointment in both respects, but I can’t wait until tonight either way.

5. Brian’s Interview At The Art Institute –

Brian had a good first experience at The Art Institute and he seems really excited about what the opportunity might mean for him. Em and I are excited on his behalf, hoping that the potential of this moment bears fruit and that Brian moves further into his vocation.

It’s an exciting time to see someone you love on the verge of something exciting and new, and I’m grateful for it.

No one has music videos that transcend the genre quite like Sigur Rós. I didn’t include my favorite Sigur Rós video, Glósóli, because I’ve already written about it at length. So instead, here is my second favorite video by the boys from Iceland, Hoppípolla.